Apparatus for sealing paperboard containers

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for installing a paperboard blank on a downwardly hanging mandrel of a turret-type container forming machine.

United States Patent Young 1 51 May 23, 1972 APPARATUS FOR SEALING R ferences Cited PAPERBOARD CONTAINERS UNITED STATES PATENTS lnvemofl Jerry Youna, Kansas City, 2,912,398 11 1959 Johnson-ct a]. 156/443 x 3,070,195 12/1962 Wilson ..156/580 X [73] Ass'gnee' mums 3,313,666 4/1967 Battersby et a1, ..156 218 [22] Filed: May 28, 1970 2,403,995 7/1946 Peters ..l56/218 3,442,734 5/1969 Ericsson ..156/580 X [21] Appl. No.: 41,289

Primary ExaminerSamuel Feinberg Assistant Examiner-G. E. Montone [52] US. Cl ..l56/443, 53/393, 115565251823 Att0mey Young and gg [51] Int. Cl. ..B65b 65/02 57 ABSTRACT [58] FieldolSoarch ..156/218,215,5l5,580, 443; l 1

53 /393 A method and apparatus for installing a paperboard blank on .a downwardly hanging mandrel of a turret-type container forming machine.

2 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures Patented May 23, 1972 INVENTOR.

J. W. YO U N G A TTORNEVS APPARATUS FOR SEALING PAPERBOARD CONTAINERS Downwardly hanging mandrels of turret-type container forming machines generally have associated elements for contacting an outer surface of the paperboard blanks and urging the blanks against the mandrel during the entire period said paperboard blanks are to be maintained on the mandrel.

This invention resides in an apparatus and method for sealing heated overlapping edges of a mandrel encompassing paperboard blank and thereafter removing from the outer surface of the sealed blank all structure contacting said outer surface of the blank. It is therefore an object of this invention to simplify the method and apparatus for installing and sealing paperboard blanks on downwardly hanging mandrels of turret-type container forming machines.

Other aspects, objects, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a study of the disclosure, the appended claims and the drawings.

The drawings are partial diagrammatic views and partial section of a turret-type container forming apparatus having downwardly hanging mandrels.

FIG. I shows a mandrel at the paperboard blank installing position with the sealing element of this invention in a retracted position, and

FIG. 2 shows other mandrels of the machine and the mandrel of FIG. 1 with the sealing element in the sealing position.

Referring to FIG. 1, a mandrel 2 of a turret-type container forming machine such as shown in copending application Ser. No. 868,789, filed Oct. 23, I969, for example, which has downwardly hanging or depending mandrels,is shown at the paperboard blank installation position. A paperboard blank 4 having heated opposed edges 6, 8 is wrapped in contacting, overlapping relationship about the mandrel 2 by wrapping wings 10. A sealing element 12 is positioned adjacent the overlapping portion l4of the edges 6, 8 of the blank 4. The sealing element 12 has dimensions at least as great as the overlapping portion 14 of the paperboard blank 4 on the mandrel 2 and is movable between a sealing position as shown in FIG. 2 at which the sealing element 12 is forcibly contacting the entire overlapping portion 14 of the blank 4 and urging one edge overlapping portion of the blank against another and a retracted position as shown in FIG. 1 at which the sealing element I2 is spaced from the blank 4. A power means 16 is attached to the sealing element 12 for intermittently moving said element between the sealing and the retracted positions.

For maintaining the apparatus of simple construction and providing quick operating and positive control over the sealing element, it is preferred that the power means 16 be a hydraulic cylinder. The preferred hydraulic cylinder has a control means 18 for actuating the cylinder at preselected intervals. It is also preferred that the power means be adapted to move the sealing element 12 into contact with the overlapping portion 14 of the blank and urge the overlapping edge portions 14 of the blank one against the other at an average pressure of at least 2 psi over the entire overlapping portion 14 for sealing the higher temperature edges 6, 8 of the blank one to the other. These edge portions 6, 8 of the blank 4 can be heated prior to being wrapped about the mandrel 2 or after said wrapping.

It is also preferred that the blank in the sealing element be of substantially the same length and that length be greater than the length of the mandrel 2.. By so controlling the relative lengths, one edge 6 of the blank 4 can be sealed to the other edge 8 over the entire length of the blank while maintaining portions of the blank 4 at a position below the mandrel 2 for subsequent bottom insertion and bottom crimping operations of the container forming machine.

By wrapping the blank 4 about the mandrel in overlapping, contacting relationship prior to scaling and then contacting the entire overlapping portion with the sealing element at an average pressure of at least 2 psi, all overlapping portions 14 are maintained against movement and are urged against one another with sufficient pressure while being so maintained to seal said overlapping ortions one to the other.

In the operatlon o the apparatus of this invention, the opposed edges of a thermoplastic coated paperboard blank are heated and wrapped about a mandrel in contacting, overlapping relationship. The sealing element is moved by the power means from the retract to the sealing position. As the sealing element moves toward the blank, the sealing element contacts the entire overlapping portion of the blank, urges the overlapping portions one against the other, and there maintains said portions in forcible contact one with the other for a period of time sufficient for the heat contacting edges to cool and be affixed one to the other. The wrapping wings and the sealing element are then moved from contacting the outer surface of the sealed paperboard blank. The resilience of the paperboard blank and the friction between the blank and the mandrel thereafter function to maintain the blank on the mandrel while said mandrel is indexed to other operating stations. This indexing causes an uncovered mandrel to be positioned at the wrapping and the cycle is thereafter repeated. Movement of the power means is controlled by the control means that is synchronized with movement of the turret.

Other modifications and alterations of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing discussion and accompanying drawings, and it should be un derstood that this invention is not to be unduly limited thereto.

What is claimed is: I

1. An apparatus for sealing heated opposed edges of a paperboard blank one to the other, said blank being wrapped in a contacting, overlapping relationship about a downwardly hanging mandrel of a turret-type container forming machine, comprising: I

a sealing element having dimensions at least as great as the overlapping portion of the paperboard blank on the downwardly hanging mandrel and being positioned adjacent the downwardly extending overlapping blank portion and movable between a sealing position at which the sealing element is forcibly contacting the entire overlapping portion of the blank and urging one edge overlapping portion of the blank against another and a retracted position at which the sealing element is laterally spaced from the blank, said downwardly extending blank and the sealing element are of substantially the same length and that length is greater than the length of the downwardly hanging mandrel; and

means for intermittently moving the sealing element between the sealing and retracted positions.

2. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the means for moving the sealing element is a hydraulic cylinder connected to the sealing element and control means are connected to the hydraulic cylinder for actuating the cylinder at preselected intervals. 

1. An apparatus for sealing heated opposed edges of a paperboard blank one to the other, said blank being wrapped in a contacting, overlapping relationship about a downwardly hanging mandrel of a turret-type container forming machine, comprising: a sealing element having dimensions at least as great as the overlapping portion of the paperboard blank on the downwardly hanging mandrel and being positioned adjacent the downwardly extending overlapping blank portion and movable between a sealing position at which the sealing element is forcibly contacting the entire overlapping portion of the blank and urging one edge overlapping portion of the blank against another and a retracted position at which the sealing element is laterally spaced from the blank, said downwardly extending blank and the sealing element are of substantially the same length and that length is greater than the length of the downwardly hanging mandrel; and means for intermittently moving the sealing element between the sealing and retracted positions.
 2. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the means for moving the sealing element is a hydraulic cylinder connected to the sealing element and control means are connected to the hydraulic cylinder for actuating the cylinder at preselected intervals. 